19 April 1969 If Franco thought he could simply rock up to London, steal a home 1968 Eurovision victory from Cliff, and actually get away with it, then he was in for a land. Summoning up the spirit of Dunkirk, D-Day and The Italian Job, the Brits went to Madrid in 1969 to give those … Continue reading Lulu – ‘Boom Bang-A-Bang’
Author: Aidan Curran
Peter Sarstedt – ‘Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?’
5 April 1969 Remember those footballer questionnaires in Shoot! and Match magazines? "Favourite meal: Steak and chips. Most desirable date: The missus!" Anyway, I remember in one of them the '90s Man United winger Lee Sharpe was asked which song he hated most and, instead of a noted novelty irritant like 'The Birdie Song' or … Continue reading Peter Sarstedt – ‘Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?’
Birdy – ‘Wings’
17 October 2013 Hivemind: can you recall any particular reason—nationwide tour, TV talent show performance, Sunday Game closing montage—why 'Wings' by Birdy topped the charts in Ireland? After all, it only reached number eight in her native UK and didn't go to number one anywhere else either. Or was it simply that a song called … Continue reading Birdy – ‘Wings’
Muriel Day – ‘The Wages Of Love’
29 March 1969 Fair play to Austria, who seem to have been the only country to boycott the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest. Okay, they didn't actually come out and say it was because of the contest being held in the fascist dictatorship of Franco's Spain; perhaps it was a bit too soon for the Anschluss's … Continue reading Muriel Day – ‘The Wages Of Love’
Lorde – ‘Royals’
10 October 2013 Lorde here becomes the third act from Aotearoa - New Zealand to have a number one single in Ireland, and at the time of writing there's only been one more since her. By contrast, 12 Irish acts so far have topped the NZ singles charts: The Bachelors, U2, Foster & Allen, Sinéad … Continue reading Lorde – ‘Royals’
Sean Dunphy & The Hoedowners – ‘Lonely Woods Of Upton’
1 February 1969 Maybe you'll get as much of a jolt as I did on hearing this 1969 song's repeated mentions of Sinn Féin - not the current-day party of Mary Lou and Gerry Adams, but the more romanticised earlier iteration of Dev, Michael Collins and fighting the Black and Tans. Indeed, since 1969 is … Continue reading Sean Dunphy & The Hoedowners – ‘Lonely Woods Of Upton’
Finbar Furey – ‘The Last Great Love Song’
29 August 2013 Finbar Furey top of the charts, Johnny Logan at number three... was there an '80s-Ireland revival in August 2013 that I wasn't aware of? Not quite, but nor do I remember The Hit, an RTÉ talent show series in which each week budding songwriters competed to have their composition sung by one … Continue reading Finbar Furey – ‘The Last Great Love Song’
Katy Perry – ‘Roar’
22 August 2013 The Katy Perry of 2024, up to her oxters in derision and controversy with the flop of her single 'Woman's World', could do with a bit of the 'Roar' spirit right now. I won't knock anyone for getting some sort of solace or inspiration out of it; the world is a dreadful … Continue reading Katy Perry – ‘Roar’
The Marmalade – ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’
25 January 1969 The Marmalade, as they were known before they dropped the 'The' in the '70s, were apparently the first Scottish act to have a number one single in the UK and, notwithstanding any supporting Caledonian member of an Irish showband, the first to do so in neighbouring Ireland too. They also turned down … Continue reading The Marmalade – ‘Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da’
Avicii – ‘Wake Me Up’
4 July 2013 Avicii's sudden and tragic death in 2018 overshadows 'Wake Me Up' for me now. The immense fame and pressure that came with gargantuan worldwide hits like this had their impact on his wellbeing, and the song's lyrics carry an unavoidable resonance. I wasn't a fan of the track at the time. Its … Continue reading Avicii – ‘Wake Me Up’
